e

root. intensive prefix

e

pronoun. he, she, it

ē

root. indeed

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “indeed” with a single derivative ᴹQ. é of the same meaning (EtyAC/Ē).

ē

root. to be

eñma

?. eñma

eph

root. emerge (especially from water, opp[osite] of dive)

A root glossed “emerge (especially from water, opp[osite] of dive)” appearing in the Quenya Verbal System written in 1948, replacing rejected roots ᴹ√KUSU and ᴹ√KHUSU of similar meaning (PE22/127). The page where it appeared was crossed out, but I think it’s worth retaining this root for the purposes for Neo-Eldarin, since there are no better alternatives for “emerge” attested in Tolkien’s published writings.

earendẹl

proper name. Earendẹl

eled-nil

masculine name. Eled-nil

eremaloitē

adjective. eremaloitē

eteŋgoldǝ

proper name. eteŋgoldǝ

ed(er)

root. open

A deleted root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the gloss “open” and the forms √ED and extended √EDÉR, but it had no derivatives (EtyAC/ED).

ede(l)

root. precede, come forward, hence

A rejected root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “precede, come forward, hence” providing an etymology for the words for Elf (Ety/EDE). The rejected Noldorin form N. Edhel may have been an early attempt to revise N. Eledh “Elf”, which in Sindarin became S. Edhel < √DEL (WJ/363-4). As such, this root may have been an early iteration of √DEL “walk, go, proceed, travel”.

ene

root. ?genitive

A root mentioned in Primitive Quendian Structure: Final Consonants from 1936 as the basis for the 1930s genitive suffix ᴹQ. -n. In later writings, the Quenya genitive suffix became Q. -o, and the dative suffix -n was given a new etymology from √NA/ANA, so likely ᴹ√ENE fell out of Tolkien’s favor for this particular use.

es

root. *place

A deleted root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with Quenya derivatives having to do with “place” (EtyAC/ES). In later writings, Q. nómë was the word for “place”.

es

root. indicate, name

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “indicate, name” with Quenya derivatives likes ᴹQ. esta- “to name” and ᴹQ. esse “name” (Ety/ES). Both these Quenya words appeared in Tolkien’s later writings (PE22/124; VT42/17; VT43/14; WJ/359). In addition, the verb form estathar “should be called” appeared in the King’s Letter from the late 1940s, indicated this root was used in the Noldorin/Sindarin branch of the languages as well. However, in Sindarin prayers from the 1950s, Tolkien used the word S. eneth for “name” (VT44/24), perhaps indicating the continued validity of another root for “name” in the Sindarin branch of the languages; see ᴱ√ENE for discussion.

esek

root. *sedge, reed

A (Ilkorin-only?) root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the derivatives Ilk. esg “sedge, reed”, Ilk. esgar “reed-bed”, and Ilk. Esgaroth “reed-lake” (Ety/ESEK). Elsewhere it seems S. lisg means “reed” as in S. Lisgardh “Land of Reeds” (UT/34), and similarly ᴹQ. liske < ᴹ✶lisge (PE19/51). Thus I suspect ᴹ√ESEK was a transient idea, one of the etymologies Tolkien considered for Esgaroth.

eter

root. open, come out (of flowers, sun, etc.)

A (Noldorin-only?) root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “open, come out (of flowers, sun, etc.)” given as an extension of ᴹ√ET “out” and serving as the basis for the Noldorin verb N. edra- “open” (Ety/ET). The appearance of the verb S. edra- “open” in The Lord of the Rings indicates its continued validity (LotR/307).

ezge

root. rustle, noise of leaves; shade

A deleted root in The Etymologies of the 1930s “rustle, noise of leaves” (Ety/EZGE) or (originally) “shade” (EtyAC/EZGE). This root served as the basis for the river name Ilk. Esgalduin, but was deleted when that name was transferred to ᴹ√SKAL.

e mati-the

he eats him (another man)

endero

masculine name. (?virile) young bridegroom

eʒ

root. be

eʒ-

verb. to be

edel-

noun. Star-folk, Elf

edēlā

noun. firstborn, eldest

ek

root. spear, (sharp) point, thorn

ektele

noun. spring, issue of water

ektelu-

verb. to well, bubble up, gush forth

eled

root. Star-Folk, Elves

eledandore

place name. *Elf-land

eledā

noun. Star-folk, Elf

en

root. yonder, over there

en

adverb. yonder

epe

preposition. after

epe ndere

after the man

er

root. be alone, deprived

eredē

noun. seed

erekwa

adjective. isolated

ese(t)

root. precede (forward)

et-kelē

noun. spring, issue of water

et-kuiwē

noun. awakening

ete

adverb. back, below

etkoitu-

verb. to bud, open (of flowers and leaves)

etsiri

noun. mouth of a river

ettul-

verb. to come out

ezdē

noun. rest

e mati-te

he eats him(self)

ent

adverb. over there

ered

root. *seed

edenā

adjective. first

ednōno

noun. firstborn

ektel-

verb. to gush

el

root. star, starry sky

enek

root. six

et

root. out, forth

et

preposition. out, forth

etkat-

verb. to fashion

edel

root. *star-folk

reg

root. edge, border, margin

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “edge, border, margin” with derivatives like ᴹQ. réna of similar meaning and N. rhain “border” (Ety/REG). ᴹ√REG replaced a rejected variant ᴹ√RAG (EtyAC/REG). The root is evident in only one name: N. {Duil Rain >>} Emyn Rhain “Border Hills” in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (TI/268, 313), called S. Emyn Muil “Drear Hills” in the published version of The Lord of the Rings (LotR/373; RC/334).

snew

root. entangle

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “entangle” with derivatives ᴹQ. neuma “snare” and {nû >>} N. hniof/hnuif “noose, snare” (Ety/SNEW).

geiā

adverb. ever

khen(de)

root. eye; look at, see, observe, direct gaze

geigolosse

place name. ever-snow

gey

root. ever, everlasting

helwe

masculine name. Elwe

kwen(ed)

root. Elf

kwenedē

noun. Elf

met

root. end

metta

noun. end

ney

root. tear

Tolkien used similar forms throughout his life for Elvish words connected to “tears”, the most enduring being Q. Nienna “Lady of Pity and Mourning” and S. nirnaeth as in Nirnaeth Arnoediad “[Battle of] Tears Unnumbered”. The first manifestation of this root was as ᴱ√NYE(NE) “bleat” and ᴱ√NYEHE “weep” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, though Tolkien considered moving all the derivatives of ᴱ√NYE(NE) to ᴱ√NYEHE (QL/68). Nonetheless it seems the distinction survived in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon which had both nı̯e and nı̯eχe as primitive forms (GL/59-60). Early derivatives include ᴱQ. nyé “bleat” and ᴱQ. nyéni “she-goat” along with ᴱQ. nyére/G. nîr “grief” and ᴱQ. nie/G. nîn “tear”, the last of these appearing in G. Nínin-Udathriol, the earliest name of S. Nirnaeth Arnoediad.

The root reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as ᴹ√NEI̯ “tear” (Ety/NEI), though Tolkien considered and rejected alternate roots ᴹ√NEÑ (EtyAC/NEI) and ᴹ√NEI̯(ET) “moist” (NEI̯(ET)), the latter becoming the primitive word ᴹ✶neiti > ᴹQ. níte “moist, dewy” and N. nîd “damp, wet; tearful”. Other derivatives include ᴹQ. nie “tear”/N. nîn “tear” (same as the forms from the 1910s) as well as N. nírnaeth “lamentation” (Ety/NEI). Tolkien’s continued use of Q. Nienna (S/28) and S. nirnaeth (S/192) in later versions of the Silmarillion indicate this root’s ongoing validity.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think some of the Quenya nye- forms from the 1910s might be salvaged as abnormal vocalization from n(e)ye- < √NEY.

kem

root. soil, earth

This root was established as the basis for “earth” words early in Tolkien’s writing. It first appeared as ᴱ√KEME “soil” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, its most notable Qenya derivative being ᴱQ. kemen “soil, earth” (QL/46). The root ᴹ√KEM “soil, earth” reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s along with ᴹQ. kén (kem-) or kemen “earth”, as well as various other Quenya and Noldorin derivatives (Ety/KEM). Tolkien’s continued use of Q. cemen and S. ceven for “earth” or “the Earth” in later writings indicates the continued validity of this root.

sel(d)

root. child, child; *daughter

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s, initially glossed “daughter” but later “child” with derivatives ᴹQ. selde, ᴹQ. seldo, ᴹQ. selda = female, male and neuter “child” (Ety/SEL-D). In Notes on Names (NN) from 1957 Tolkien gave sel-de “daughter” (PE17/170), while S. sel(l) = “daughter” appeared in both the King’s Letter from the late 1940s (SD/129) as well as the Túrin Wrapper from the 1950s (VT50/5). The diminutive form for “daughter” appeared as Q. selyë in notes from the late 1960s (VT47/10).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I prefer √YEL for “daughter” as a variant of ᴹ√SEL(D) under the influence of √YON “son”, mostly so I can still use the 1930s “child” words for other genders, at least in the Quenya branch. I would still use Q. seldë and S. sell for “daughter”, however, with a bit of semantic drift, with “girl” words becoming Q. nettë and S. neth.

yel

root. friend

A new gloss for the root ᴹ√YEL “daughter”, with a new set of derivatives like ᴹQ. -iel “-friend” and ᴹQ. yelda “friendly” (Ety/YEL), but it was rejected in turn and probably replaced by ᴹ√MEL.

yen

root. year

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “year” with derivatives like ᴹQ. yén/N. în “year” (Ety/YEN). Tolkien’s ongoing use of words like Q. yén and S. ínias “annals” indicate its ongoing validity (LotR/377; MR/200), but in Quenya at least the meaning shifted to that of an “Elvish long year”, equal to 144 solar years (LotR/1107; MR/471; NM/84).

yes

root. desire

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “desire” with derivatives like ᴹQ. yesta- “desire” and N. iest “wish” (Ety/YES; EtyAC/YES).

lepen

root. five

(e)ned

root. centre, middle

bed

root. BED

belē

noun. strength

kelun

noun. river

khe

pronoun. they

kwentā

noun. tale

kyelep

root. silver

led

root. go, fare, travel

lep(e)ne

noun. five

lepenar

noun. week

lisge

noun. reed

melā-

verb. to love

ndeuna

adjective. second

neinē

noun. tear

nel

root. three

neled

root. three

pheleg

root. cave

red

root. scatter, sow

sed

root. rest

telep

root. silver

terēn(ē)

adjective. slender

weirē

feminine name. Weaver

wen(ed)

root. maiden

yel

root. daughter

yen

root. daughter

yend

noun. daughter

yenrinde

noun. year

ēntrende

place name. Outer Lands, East

me

pronoun. we (exclusive)

der

root. adult male, man

lepek

root. five

(e)rek

root. thorn, holly

The root ᴹ√EREK appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the gloss “thorn” and derivatives meaning “prick” or “holly” in both Quenya and Noldorin (Ety/ERÉK). Elsewhere in the document it appeared in its unaugmented form ᴹ√REK (EtyAC/REK). It was the basis of the two names Ilk. Region and N. Eregion “Hollin”. The continued appearance of these names in the Legendarium indicates the continued validity of these roots.

wed

root. bind

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “bind” with derivatives like ᴹQ. vére/N. gwaedh “bond, troth, compact, oath” and ᴹQ. vesta-/N. gwesta- “swear”, though Tolkien deleted Quenya derivatives of this root beginning with ves- saying they fell out of use due to conflict with ᴹ√BES “wed” (Ety/WED). This root might be a later iteration of the hypothetical early root ✱ᴱ√FEDE indicated by words in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s like G. fedhin “bound by agreement; ally, friend” and G. fedhra- “unite in a band” (GL/34), but the 1910s and 1930s forms are rather dissimilar so it is hard to say.

ʒel

root. sky

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “sky”, with derivatives like ᴹQ. helle/N. ell “sky” and ᴹQ. helwa/N. elw “(pale) blue” (Ety/ƷEL). It was the basis for the initial elements of the names N. Elrond, N. Elwing and ᴹQ. Elwe, but elsewhere Tolkien connected these names to √EL “star”. It was also an element in the word N. eilian(w) “rainbow, (lit.) sky-bridge”, later given as S. ninniach. On the basis of these changes, I think it is likely Tolkien abandoned ᴹ√ƷEL, but some of its derived words are still popular in Neo-Eldarin.

angosse

noun. horror

bestā

noun. matrimony

kwet

root. say

settā

adjective. first

weʒē

noun. manhood, vigour

ad

root. entrance, gate

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “gate, entrance” (Ety/AD) that seems to have replaced ᴱ√BOÐO (QL/75) from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s. Its two main derivatives are ᴹQ. ando and N. annon “(great) gate, door”. These words in turn were transferred in 1959 to the root √ANA “to, towards”, from the original “approach, entrance” (PE17/40). Thus it seems Tolkien abandoned this root, perhaps because he wished to use it instead for √AD(A) “alongside, by the side of”, one of the etymologies Tolkien considered for the Eldarin words for “and” (PE17/71).

bor(on)

root. endure

The root ᴹ√BOR “endure” along with its extended form ᴹ√BORON appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s along with various derivatives having to do with endurance, faithfulness and everlastingness (Ety/BOR, BORÓN). It was simply a later version of the root ᴱ√VORO from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, unglossed but clearly of a similar meaning based on its Qenya and Gnomish derivatives like ᴱQ. voronda “faithful”, ᴱQ. vorima “everlasting” and G. bron(n) “steadfast, firm” (QL/102; GL/23-24).

Similar forms like Q. voronda or vórima “faithful” continued to appear in Tolkien’s later writing (UT/317). The well established names Q. Voronwë or S. Bronwe(g) “Steadfast, Faithful” retained the same basic form and meaning throughout Tolkien’s life, testifying to the enduring nature of the Elvish root for “endurance”.

mbakh

root. exchange

This root was the basis for words having to do with trade. It first appeared as unglossed ᴱ√VAKA in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, with derivatives like ᴱQ. vakse “sale” and ᴱQ. vaktele “trade” (QL/99). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon like G. bag- “sell, trade” (GL/21); a similar set of derivatives appeared in Early Noldorin word lists of the 1920s (PE13/138). The root appeared as ᴹ√MBAKH “exchange” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. manka-/N. banga- “trade”, N. bachor “pedlar”, and ᴹQ. makar “tradesman” (Ety/MBAKH). An earlier version of this entry instead had ᴹ√MBAƷ, but this was deleted (EtyAC/MBAƷ, MBAKH). The word ᴹQ. makar as well as a deleted variants māka- of ᴹQ. manka- and bagor of N. bachor (EtyAC/MBAKH) imply Tolkien also considered a variant form ᴹ√MBAK.

nakat

root. eighteen

A root in a currently unpublished list of numerical roots from the late 1930s, apparently part of the Elvish duo-decimal counting system, where 19 = 18 + 1, etc. (PE14/17 note #8).

siw

root. excite, egg on, urge

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “excite, egg on, urge” with derivatives ᴹQ. siule “incitement” and N. hûl “cry of encouragement in battle” (Ety/SIW).

srō

root. east

A root appearing in a rejected page of roots from the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s (PE22/127), possibly as a variant of √RŌ/ORO that Tolkien introduced to explain S. rhûn “east” after he decided initial r- did not become rh- in Noldorin/Sindarin; see the entry on S. rhûn for discussion.

wad

root. err, stray

In the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s, Tolkien gave the verbal root {ᴹ√MAD >>} ᴹ√WAD “err, stray” as the basis {ᴹQ. mare >>} ᴹQ. ware “err” (PE22/102), but neither the root nor the verb seem to be mentioned anywhere else.

way

root. enfold

The earliest iteration of this root was ᴱ√VAẎA “enfold, wind about” from the Qenya Lexicon from the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. vaile “covering”, ᴱQ. vaima “wrap, robe”, and ᴱQ. vaita- “wrap” (QL/100). The contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon had derivatives like G. baidha- “clothe”, G. bail “sheath, case, cover; pod”, and G. bain “clad”, based on the primitive form Baʒ̔- (GL/21). This likely meant the medial consonant of the root was actually the voiced palatal spirant [ʝ], which Tolkien generally represented as ẏ in Qenya roots (PE12/15-16).

{ᴱN. bain >>} ᴱN. bai “clad” and ᴱN. bail “sheath” from Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s were probably related (PE13/138). In The Etymologies from the 1930s the root appeared as ᴹ√WAY “enfold” with derivatives like ᴹQ. vaita-/N. gwaeda- “enfold” and N. ui “envelope” (Ety/WAY; EtyAC/WAY). In this entry the form was revised to ᴹ√VAY (Ety/WAY). Tolkien also indicated that it was “confused in later Q with BAYA”, perhaps an attempt to salvage the bai- forms of Gnomish and Early Noldorin, but this sentence was struck out and there is no other sign of ᴹ√BAY in The Etymologies.

Neo-Eldarin: In The Etymologies, the Noldorin words for “clothing” seem to have moved to a new root, ᴹ√KHAP “enfold”, but this root had no Quenya derivatives. I think it is best to reconceive of the Early Qenya derivatives of ᴱ√VAẎA related to “clothing” as derivatives of ᴹ√WAY instead. The Gnomish derivatives of ᴱ√VAẎA can’t be easily salvaged, however, since the later roots changed to make it difficult produce their initial b.

yuk

root. employ, use

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “employ, use” with derivatives like N. iuith “use” and N. iuitho “employ” (Ety/YUK; EtyAC/YUK).

(l)alam

root. elm-tree

khap

root. enfold

lassē

noun. ear

luktiēnē

feminine name. enchantress

mat

root. eat

oiyā

adjective. everlasting

oy

root. ever, eternal

tay

root. extend, make long(er), stretch

tol-oth/ot

root. eight

winyē

noun. evening

wāyā

noun. envelope

a

root. intensive prefix

An “intensive” root addition described by Tolkien in The Etymologies from the 1930s (EtyAC/A). It was one of two basic intensive mechanisms, along with the (syllabic) prefixed N- (EtyAC/N). The prefixed vowel a- seems to have been used originally in Primitive Elvish when the base vowel was a, and similarly with E and I (EtyAC/E; Ety/I²); whether this was also true of the vowels o, u is unclear, as Tolkien didn’t mention them. These various vocalic intensifications were frequently accompanied by dynamic lengthening (doubling), with the example given by Tolkien being: ᴹ✶parkā “dry” → ᴹ✶apparkā “very dry, arid” (> N. afarch).

In the case of e- and i-, the examples were dero, dise → ᴹ✶Endero, ᴹ✶Indise “groom, bride”; these examples indicate that other kinds of consonant fortifications were possible, in this case nasalization of stops, which often replaced consonant-doubling for voiced stops in Primitive Elvish.

Specifically in the case of a-, however, it seems it could be used as a general intensive that “was distinct in origin, though similar in function, to the prefixed basic vowel”. Why this was true of a- alone is not clear, but there seems to have been some complex interplay between the vocalic intensives and the intensives derived from syllabic initial ṇ-, with the net result that the intensive prefix in Q. became an-, am-, añ-, depending on the initial consonant.

See the entry on the Quenya comparative for a more detailed discussion of the conceptual development of intensives in Eldarin.

rauta

root. metal

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s, first glossed “copper” and then “metal”, with derivatives ᴹQ. rauta/N. rhaud “metal” and serving mainly to explain names like N. Angrod and N. Finrod (Ety/RAUTĀ). It might have reappeared in the name S. Rodëol “metal of Eöl” from later Silmarillion drafts (WJ/322), but by 1957 Tolkien was explaining the final element of S. Finrod as S. raud “noble” (PE17/49, 118), so I think it is likely that ᴹ√RAUTA “metal” was abandoned.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I’d use Q. tinco (LotR/1122) and its cognate [N.] tinc (Ety/TINKŌ) for “metal” words. For “copper” I'd use derivatives of √(U)RUS (VT41/10).

(s)ri

root. *edge, border

An unglossed root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. ríma “edge, hem, border” and N. rhîf “brink, brim” (Ety/RĪ). Tolkien then added a note “alter to SRI-” without revising the derivatives (EtyAC/RĪ). Given that all its derivatives indicate primitive rīm-, it is almost certainly a later iteration of the unglossed root ᴱ√RIMI from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. rim- “border on, lie at edge, neighbour” and ᴱQ. rímen “border, shore”, given in the same entry with the root ᴱ√RIPI with which it was apparently confused (QL/80). ᴱ√RIMI likewise had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. rim “a stripe, line; border, fringe” (GL/65), though blending with ᴱ√RIPI complicates the analysis; see that entry for further details.

daram

root. beat, hew, beat, hew; [ᴱ√] batter, thud

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the glosses “beat, hew” (Ety/DARÁM). It is probably a later iteration on the early root ᴱ√TARA(MA) “batter, thud, beat” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/89). Its Gnomish forms DAR/D(A)RAM/DAM make clear the actual early root was ᴱ√DARA(MA), since initial d- &gt; t- in Early Qenya. The last Gnomish form hints that the root in the 1930s might also have been related to ᴹ√(N)DAM “hammer, beat”.

galad

root. tree

The basis for Elvish “tree” words, this root first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as an extension of ᴹ√GALA “thrive” (Ety/GALAD). This replaced the earliest derivation of “tree” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, where the Qenya word for “tree” ᴱQ. alda was derived from ᴱ√ALA “spread” (QL/29). In The Etymologies, the Quenya form of this word remained the same, but the 1910s Gnomish words G. âl “wood” and †alwen “tree” (GL/19) became the 1930s Noldorin word N. galadh “tree” (Ety/GALA). Quenya and Sindarin retained these words for “tree” thereafter, and while Tolkien did not mention the root √GALAD again, his continued use of primitive ✶galadā “tree” (Let/426; PE17/153; PE21/74; UT/266) made it clear this root remained valid.

glam

root. *noise, echo

A (Noldorin-only) root in The Etymologies of the 1930s, a strengthened form of the root ᴹ√LAM which was the basis of general sound words (Ety/GLAM). The derivatives of ᴹ√GLAM include N. glamm “shouting, confused noise” and N. glavra- “babble” but also N. glamor “echo” and N. glamren “echoing”, the last of these seen in N. Dorlamren, the pure Noldorin form of N. Dor-lómen “Land of Echoes”, which incorporates the Ilkorin word lómen “echoing” (LR/249; Ety/LAM).

The word S. glam “din, uproar, the confused yelling and bellowing of beasts” reappeared in the Quendi and Eldar essay written in 1959-60, where it was an element (as it was earlier) in the collective name for orcs: S. Glamhoth “Din-horde” (WJ/391). This strongly indicates that the “confused sounds” aspect of this root survived into Tolkien’s later conception of the language. However, the “echo” portion seemed to have been transferred to the unstrengthened form of this root √LAM as with (West) Sindarin loven “echoing” vs. North Sindarin lómin, which remained an element in Dor-lómin “Land of Echoes”, albeit reconceived of as a North Sindarin name (PE17/133).

glindi

root. pale blue

A rejected root in The Etymologies of the 1930s for “pale blue” used in an abandoned explanation of N. Eredlindon as “Blue Mountains” (Ety/GLINDI; EtyAC/GLINDI). Later this name was S. Ered Lindon “Mountains of Lindon” (Ety/LIN²; S/123).

i

root. that (deictic particle); [ᴱ√] here it is, root of relatives

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “that (deictic particle)” (Ety/I¹). A similar root appeared in the Qenya and Gnomish Lexicons of the 1910s glossed “here it is” (QL/41) and “root of relatives” (GL/50). Given Tolkien’s long standing use of i for both “the” and the relative pronoun “that” in all his Elvish languages, this root was established very early and remained more or less fixed throughout Tolkien’s life.

inik

root. *idea

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s given as ᴹ√INK and ᴹ√INIK, the latter marked with a “?” but probably representing the actual form of the root (Ety/INK). The root was unglossed, but its derivatives all seem to be related to the sense “idea” such as ᴹQ. inka “idea”, ᴹQ. intya [< inkya] “guess, supposition, idea, notion” and N. inc “guess, idea, notion” (Ety/INK; EtyAC/INK). It might be connected to the later root √IN(ID) “mind” from 1957 (PE17/155).

kap

root. leap, leap, [ᴱ√] spring

This root appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “leap” (Ety/KAP), and was simply a later iteration of ᴱ√KAPA “leap, spring” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/45). The root appeared in various other places in the 1920s (PE14/66), 30s (PE19/42) and 40s (PE22/102), always with the same meaning. The root itself did not appear in Tolkien’s later writing, but his continued use of derivatives like S. cabed “leap” (S/224) and S. cáfru “✱flea” < ✶kamprū (PE17/131) indicate its continued validity.

lop

root. horse, horse; [ᴱ√] *run (of animals), gallop, lope

This root was the basis for horse words starting with the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, where it appeared unglossed as ᴱ√LOPO (QL/56). It was compared to the root ᴱ√LOQO, and these roots include the verbs ᴱQ. lopo- “gallop, run (of animals)” and ᴱQ. loqo- “run (of human beings)”, so I think it is likely those were the meanings of the roots as well (QL/56). In the Qenya Lexicon, ᴱ√LOPO had the derivatives ᴱQ. lōpa “horse or mare” and ᴱQ. lopsi “mare” (QL/56), but elsewhere in that document there was the word ᴱQ. lapatte “rabbit” < ᴱ✶lopatte, so I think that word is related as well, though Tolkien did mark the primitive form with a “?” (QL/51). The probably-related word ᴹQ. lopo “rabbit” appeared in a discussion of nouns from the early 1930s (PE21/31).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root ᴹ√LOP was glossed “horse”, and its derivatives ᴹQ. olombo and N. lobor had only that sense (EtyAC/LOP), but horse words were usually derived from ᴹ√ROK from the 1930s and later. The word Q. lopoldi “rabbits” appeared in some 1965 notes on Númenor, so It seems likely √LOP remained valid in some form. Another possibly related late word is S. ✱laba- “hop” as in S. Labadal “Hopafoot” (UT/60).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think it is worth retaining ᴹ√LOP with a verbal sense “✱gallop, lope”. In this way, it can remain the basis for rabbit words based on their loping run. The horse words from this root might be specialized for heavier loping horses like destriers, since ᴹQ. rokko was said to refer more specifically to a “swift horse” (EtyAC/ROK).

lus

root. *empty

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s whose derivatives had to do with empty things, such as ᴹQ. lusta “void, empty”, N. lhoss “wilderness” and N. lhost “empty” (Ety/LUS). The last of these was an element in the name N. Lhothlann or Lothland “Empty and Wide” (Ety/LAD; LR/264), and Tolkien’s continued use of S. Lothlann in later versions of the Silmarillion indicate the ongoing validity of this root (S/123).

maiga

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root appearing in the first version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa from the 1930s (TQ1) to illustrate certain patterns of root formation (PE18/66). It may have serving as the basis for ᴹQ. Maia, though this word was given different derivations later.

mbal

root. ?crush, pound, [ᴱ√] crush, *pound; hurt, pain, damage, give maim to

An unglossed root in The Etymologies of the 1930s serving as the basis for the word ᴹQ. malle “street” and ᴹQ. ambal “shaped stone, flag”, the second gloss probably meaning “flag stone” (Ety/MBAL). In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, the strengthened root ᴱ√MBALA was glossed “crush, hurt, pain, damage, give maim to” with Gnomish variant bal- and derivatives like ᴱQ. maldor “agony” and G. bal “anguish, pain” (QL/58; GL/21); the root entry is given under ᴱ√MALA³, but a list of roots at the end of the M-section make it clear the strengthened root is in fact ᴱ√MBALA (QL/63).

The Qenya Lexicon also has an unstrengthened root ᴱ√MALA “crush, squeeze, pulp” to which ᴱ√MBALA may (QL/63) or may not (QL/58) be related, whose derivatives include ᴱQ. mal- “to crush”, ᴱQ. malle “street” and G. mal “paved way, road” (QL/58; GL/56). There was another variant root ᴱ√MLŘL [MḶÐḶ] “crush, pound”, also connected to ᴱ√MALA¹ and with Gnomish variant blid[h]-, though it had no obvious derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (QL/62-63). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, it seems the “torment” words were transferred to ᴹ√(Ñ)GWAL: in the 1910s it seems in initial element of G. Balrog was from ᴱ√MBALA (GL/21; LT1A/Balrog) but in the 1930s it was from N. baul “torment” < ᴹ√(Ñ)GWAL (Ety/ÑGWAL). Thus 1930s ᴹ√MBAL was probably limited to meanings like “✱crush, pound”.

moy

root. *dear, *dear; [ᴱ√] *soft, gentle

An unglossed root in The Etymologies of the 1930s serving as the basis for ᴹQ. moina and N. muin “dear” (Ety/MOY). An early root ✱ᴱ√MOYO “✱soft, gentle” is strongly implied by words appearing in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s: G. muig/ᴱQ. moika “soft, gentle” and G. muis “softness, tenderness, gentleness” (GL/58). The words G. muin/ᴱQ. moina “safe, secure” and G. muil/ᴱQ. moile “tarn [mountain lake]” may also be related. Given the semantic variation of all these words, it’s hard to know the common meaning (if any) of their root, but for purposes of Neo-Eldarin, “soft, gentle” is probably a good foundation.

pad

root. *enclosure

An unglossed root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. panda “enclosure” and N. pann “courtyard” (Ety/PAD), so perhaps meaning “✱enclosure”.

pat

root. *open, [ᴱ√] open, wide, spreading

An unglossed root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. panta- “to unfurl, spread out, open” and N. panna- “to open, enlarge”, along with ᴹQ. panta “open” and N. pann “wide” (Ety/PAT). It seems to be a later iteration of ᴱ√PATA² or ᴱ√PṆTṆ from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “open, spread out, show” with very similar derivatives like ᴱQ. panta “open, wide, spreading” and ᴱQ. panta- “open, unfold, spread” (QL/72). In Tolkien’s later writings, ✱√PAT seems to mean “step” or “walk”; see that entry for details.

Neo-Eldarin: Despite the later shift in meaning for √PAT, I think this earlier sense “open (wide)” can be salvaged by assuming that form of the root is actually ✱√PANAT or ✱√PANTA, which is consistent with most of its derivatives. For the non-verbal senses of “open”, I think √LAT is generally better.

rasat

root. twelve

The root ᴹ√RÁSAT “twelve” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, and students of Elvish long supposed that its unattested derivative ✱rasta was the Quenya word for “twelve”. In later publications, however, the Quenya word for “twelve” was given as yunquë (VT47/41), derived from primitive ✶yūnekē.

This word yunquë dates back to Early Quenya, first appearing as ᴱQ. yunqe in the Early Qenya Grammar from the 1920s (PE14/82), so it is likely that the √RASAT “twelve” co-existed with ✶yūnekē when that root was introduced in the 1930s. In currently published materials, rasta only appears as a suffix in yurasta “twenty four” (twice-twelve) in a discussion of the Elvish duodecimal (base twelve) counting system, also probably from the 1930s (PE14/17). It may be that ✶yūnekē was used for the general word for “twelve”, while √RASAT was used for “groups of twelve” as part of this duodecimal system. If so, it may have only been used as a suffix in grouping words in this counting system.

riy

root. *scatter, [ᴱ√] scatter

This root first appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as ᴱ√RIẎI “scatter” (gloss marked with a “?” by Tolkien) with derivatives like ᴱQ. ríma “line of seeds planted, row, series, furrow”, ᴱQ. rísima “scattered, ubiquitous, universal”, and ᴱQ. rista “shoot (sowing), plant, seedling” (QL/80). Tolkien also linked it to the root ᴱ√ORO⁽⁾, which he said could be analyzed as o- (“over”) + RIẎI; that root had derivatives like ᴱQ. ore (ori-) “seed, grain” and ᴱQ. orya- “sow” (QL/70). In the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s, Tolkien gave the root form ᴹ√RĪI̯ as the basis for ᴹQ. rí “reed, grass-stem” (PE21/38). There are no signs of this root thereafter.

Neo-Eldarin: In later writings, ᴹ√RED seems to be the basis for “scatter, sow” (PE19/91, Ety/RED), but I think it might be worth retaining the root √RIY as the basis for random scattering as opposed to intentionally scattering for purposes of planting = √RED. In theory ᴹ√RIY would conflict with ᴹ√RĪ “✱edge” (Ety/RĪ), but Tolkien revised that root to ᴹ√SRI.

roy

root. chase

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “chase” with derivatives like ᴹQ. roime/N. rhui(w) “hunt, hunting” and ᴹQ. ronyo/N. rhŷn(w) “chaser, hound of chase” (Ety/ROY¹; EtyAC/ROY¹); the root was originally given as ᴹ√RUY (EtyAC/ROY¹).

sab

root. juice

This root was one of a surprisingly large number of roots Tolkien used for “juice”, appearing as ᴹ√SAB in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives ᴹQ. sáva/N. saw “juice” (Ety/SAB). It might be a variant of (hypothetical) early root ✱ᴱ√WASA needed to explain the forms G. gwâs and ᴱQ. vasa “juice” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/44). The primitive form ᴹ✶sāba also appeared in a rough 1940 note with the word N. iofog “fruit drink”, though Tolkien ultimately decided the second element was derived from ᴹ√SUK “drink” (TMME/53).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would assume this root refers mainly fruit juice and pulp, as opposed to syrup and tree sap which would be derived from ᴹ√PIS.

skar

root. ?stop, end; limit, marge

A hastily written entry in The Etymologies of the 1930s with an unclear gloss (possibly “stop, end; limit, marge”) serving as the basis for the name Ilk. Esgaroth (also with an unclear gloss, possibly “?strand-burg”) with the element Ilk. esgar = “shore” (EtyAC/SKAR²). The name Ilk. Esgaroth was given a much clearer etymology as “Reedlake” under the entry ᴹ√ESEK “✱sedge, reed” (Ety/ESEK).

skor

root. look out for, expect, wait for

A root appearing in the Quenya Verbal System from the 1940s given as {skop >> kop >>} skor “look out for, expect, wait for” serving as the basis for the verb {hopa- >> kopa- >>} ᴹQ. hora- “wait for” (PE22/113).

slig

root. *entwine, thread; spider

An unglossed root in The Etymologies of the 1930s, with derivatives like ᴹQ. lia/N. thlê “fine thread, spider filament” and ᴹQ. líne/N. thling “cobweb, [N.] spider” (Ety/SLIG). It is probably a later iteration of the primitive form ᴱ√LI+ya “unite many as one” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. lia “twine” and ᴱQ. liante “tendril” (QL/53), with analogous forms G. lind “twine” and G. -liont in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/54). For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, it is probably best to assume this root is associated with collections of thread rather than directly with spiders, since in later writings spider words were based on √ungu- (PE22/160).

stal

root. steep

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “steep” with derivatives like Ilk. thall “steep, falling steeply (of river)” and Ilk. thalos “torrent”, the latter used for the river name Ilk. Thalos (Ety/STAL). Tolkien continued to use the name S. Thalos in later versions of The Silmarillion, but the name was translated nowhere else, making its continued connection to the 1930s root uncertain.

stā

root. [unglossed]

A deleted root reference in The Etymologies apparently serving as the basis for the verbal action suffix ᴹ✶-stā “-ing” in ᴹ✶khau̯-stā “rest-ing” (Ety/KHAW; EtyAC/KHAW). See the entry on ✶-stā for further discussion.

swin

root. whirl, eddy

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “whirl, eddy” with derivatives like ᴹQ. hwinde/N. chwinn “eddy, whirlpool” and ᴹQ. hwinya-/N. chwinia- “eddy, twirl, swirl” (Ety/SWIN).

tal

root. appraise, esteem, value

A root Tolkien mentioned in the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s with a single derivative ᴹQ. tatalla- “admire, wonder at” (PE22/110). There are no signs elsewhere of this root being used with this meaning: typically √TAL = “foot”.

tinkō

root. metal

The “root” ᴹ√TINKŌ (more likely just a primitive word) appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the gloss “metal” and derivatives like ᴹQ. tinko/N. tinc of the same meaning (Ety/TINKŌ). The reappearance of Q. tinco “metal” in The Lord of the Rings appendices (LotR/1122) strongly indicates its ongoing validity.

ᴹ√TINKŌ may have replaced the root ᴱ√SINI “pale blue” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. sink “mineral, gem, metal” and G. sinc “metal” (QL/83; GL/67); these early mineral words were originally attributed to ᴱ√SṆT͡YṆ “twinkle” before they were transferred to ᴱ√SINI, leaving only derivatives like ᴱQ. sintl “crystal” and ᴱQ. sinty- “sparkle” under ᴱ√SṆT͡YṆ (QL/85). However, in notes from the late 1960s Tolkien had primitive ✶sinki as an element ✶sinkitamo, the basis for Q. sintamo “smith” (PE17/108). Likewise there is evidence of the earlier root in Q. sinca “flint” as in Q. sincahonda “flint-hearted” (LotR/979), initially given as ᴹQ. tingahondo in Lord of the Rings drafts (SD/68).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would definitely use ✶tink- = “metal”, but I think it is worth keeping ✶sinki = “✱mineral = any inorganic solid including both stone and metal” as a variant.

top

root. cover, roof, roof, cover

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “cover, roof” with derivatives like ᴹQ. tópa-/N. toba- “to roof”, ᴹQ. tópa “roof”, and N. tobas “roofing” (Ety/TOP). It was grouped together with and was apparently a variant of ᴹ√TUP (EtyAC/TOP), a root with a much lengthier history; see that entry for details. For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think this root could mean “roof” as opposed to √TUP = “cover”.

win(i)d

root. pale blue

A rejected with roots with derivatives having to do with “blue-grey” and “fading” (Ety/WIN), perhaps replacing another rejected root ᴹ√GWINDI (EtyAC/GWINDI).

ñgyo(n)

root. grandchild, descendant

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “grandchild, descendant” with derivatives in Quenya, Telerin and Old Noldorin of similar meaning (Ety/ÑGYŌ); it is clearly an elaboration of ᴹ√YO(N) “son”.

ʒan

root. male

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “male” and used in this sense for both people and animals (Ety/ƷAN). Its principle derivatives are ᴹQ. hanu/N. anw “male (person or animal)”, so it might more properly be ✱ᴹ√ƷAN+U.

khlip

root. [unglossed]

An unglossed root in a rejected paragraph from the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s (PE22/112 note #78).

phan

root. [unglossed]

A deleted root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with no glosses or derivatives and no clear function (EtyAC/PHAN).

skil

root. [unglossed]

A root mentioned in passing in as a variant of ᴹ√KIL “divide” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, but it had no derivatives and appeared nowhere else (Ety/KIL).

uruk

root. [unglossed]

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with no glosses or derivatives and no clear function (EtyAC/URUK).

us

root. [unglossed]

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s with no glosses or derivatives and no clear function (EtyAC/US).

mat-

verb. to eat

a-

prefix. complete

adnō

noun. gate

ala-

prefix. very

am

root. mother

ammat-

verb. to devour

amī̆l

noun. mother

anta-

verb. to give, present

ata

root. father

atar

noun. father

atyēnar

noun. anniversary day

atū

noun. father

auluta-

verb. [unglossed]

ay(ar)

root. sea

batā̆

noun. beaten track, pathway

bay

root. [unglossed]

bányā

adjective. beautiful

i

root. intensive prefix

istāyā

adjective. learned

kaima

noun. bed

kaltwa

?. [unglossed]

kas

root. head

kas

noun. head

khal

root. uplift, erect, lift from ground, (make) stand up

khalnā

adjective. noble, exalted

khōn

noun. heart

kir

root. cleave

kul

root. golden-red

kundu

root. prince

kēm

noun. *earth

kōmā

noun. [unglossed]

la(n)srondo

noun. hearer, listener, eavesdropper

las

root. listen

lassē

noun. leaf

lay

root. *be alive, flourish

ligā

noun. fine thread, spider filament

lot(h)

root. flower

lugni

adjective. blue

luk

root. magic, enchantment

mbarat

root. fate

minik(w)

root. *eleven

mizdā

adjective. wet

mālō

noun. friend

ndḗro

noun. bridegroom

ndǣr

noun. bridegroom

nā/ana

root. be, exist

nē̆n

noun. water

nĕ

suffix. ?genitive

nō/ono

root. beget

orta-

verb. to rise

ot/otos/otok

root. seven

pal

root. wide (open)

pantā

adjective. open

patnā

adjective. wide

poikā

adjective. clean, pure

ramna

noun. wing (horn), extended point at side

rǭda

noun. cave

sagrā

adjective. bitter

skorā-

verb. look out for, expect, wait for

slīwē

noun. sickness

smal

root. yellow

smalinā

adjective. yellow

smalwā

adjective. fallow, pale

span

root. white

stalga

adjective. stalwart, steady, firm

sī̆/sē̆

pronoun. she

tankāta-

verb. to make firm

thausā

adjective. foul, evil-smelling, putrid

thērē

noun. look, face, expression, countenance

tin

root. sparkle, emit slender (silver pale) beams

torōmā

noun. [unglossed]

tul

root. come, approach, move towards (point of speaker)

tundu

noun. hole

turumbē

noun. shield

turumā

noun. shield

tārī

noun. queen

tū

adjective. strength

uklaina

adjective. wicked

umu

root. negative stems

vaiā

noun. sea

wanwē

noun. death

windı̯ā

adjective. pale blue

wínda-

verb. fade

yakta-

noun. neck

yē

root. to be

ñgolda

adjective. wise

ī

article. the

ōmata-

verb. to eat away, devour, corrode

ūmanā

adjective. wicked

ṇdūnē

noun. sunset

galadā

noun. tree

iw

root. [unglossed], [ᴱ√] *fish

stin

root. [unglossed]

tul-

verb. come, am coming, have come, am arrived, am here

ana

root. be, exist

grud

root. [empty entry]

mas

root. knead; [ᴱ√] cook, bake

rī

root. *edge, border

ugu

root. negative stems

ī

root. to be

sliw

root. sickly

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “sickly”, with derivatives like ᴹQ. laiwa/N. flaew “sickly, sick, ill” and ᴹQ. líve/N. fliw “sickness” (Ety/SLIW). The root was first written as ᴹ√LIW (EtyAC/LIW). It is probably a later iteration of the unglossed root ᴱ√LEẆE from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives ᴱQ. leuke “sick, ill; pallid, wan” and ᴱQ. leume “sickness” (QL/53).

ar

root. day

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “day” with various derivatives like ᴹQ. are, N. aur “day” and ᴹQ. arin “morning” (Ety/AR¹). In Tolkien’s later writings, the Quenya word for “day” became aurë (RC/727; S/190), and in 1957 Quenya Notes he devised a new etymology for these day-words from the root √UR “heat” as in ✶auri “heat, period of sun” (PE17/148). That opens the question whether the various 1930s Quenya “morning” words from ᴹ√AR remain valid, but many Neo-Quenya writers (including me) retain them since there aren’t really any good alternatives. They might be salvageable as derivatives of the later root √AS “warmth” (so that “day” = “hot” and “morning” = “warm”).

dag

root. dig

A rejected root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “dig” (Ety/DAG), it may have been a transient replacement for √SAP.

doʒ

root. night

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “night” that (along with ᴹ√DOM) was the basis for the ᴹQ. lóme/N. dû “night” (Ety/DOƷ). It replaced some rejected variants ᴹ√LOƷ and ᴹ√DAW (EtyAC/LOƷ). Many of the derivatives of ᴹ√DOƷ were later assigned to other roots: N. dûr “dark” became S. dûr “dark” < √NDU “under, down” in notes from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/152) and ᴹQ. lóna “dark” became Q. lúna (PE17/22). There are no signs of ᴹQ. ló “night” and N. daw “night-time, gloom” in Tolkien’s later writing. Future derivations of Q. lómë/S. dû only mention the root √DOM (PE17/152; PE22/153) and thus ᴹ√DOƷ may have been abandoned.

In a message to the Elfling mailing list from July 2012 (Elfling/362.96), David Salo suggested there might be a later root ✱√DU serving as the basis for Q. lúna “dark” and Q. lúmë “darkness”, though the latter might instead be from √LUM. Such a root ✱√DU is not attested in Tolkien writings, but if it existed, it could be a later iteration of ᴹ√DOƷ. Another possible example of the root ✱√DU is primitive ✶durnŭ “dark of hue”.

ku(ʒ)

root. bow

The root ᴹ√KU(Ʒ) “bow” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/KUƷ), most likely a later version of ᴱ√KUVU “bend, bow” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/49). One notable derivative in both periods was G. cû “bow, crescent” and N. cû “arch, crescent”, which regularly appeared as S. cû “bow” in later writings, for example in S. Laer Cú Beleg “Song of the Great Bow” (GL/27; Ety/KUƷ; S/209).

The probably-related root ᴹ√KUB “bow” appeared in the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s (PE22/102); ᴹQ. nukumna “humbled (?under-bowed)” from this period may also be related (SD/246). In notes from the late 1950s or early 1960s Tolkien gave ✶kūma, Q. cúma and S. cû(f) next to Q. lúva “bow, bight (not for shooting)” < √LUB “bend”, so presumably cúma/cû was “bow (for shooting)” (PE17/122). Finally Q. cúna “bent, curved” appeared in notes associated with the version of the Q. Markirya poem from the late 1960s, along with a verb form cúna- “to bend” (MC/222-223).

These variations make it difficult to determine what Tolkien intended the root to mean, but for purposes of Neo-Eldarin I would assume a base root of √KU(Ʒ) or √KU(H) with perhaps a verbal variant √KUB based on its use in the 1940s, and with the primitive sense “bow, bend”.

kum

root. void

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “void”, with derivatives like ᴹQ. kúma “void” and N. caun “empty” (Ety/KUM). It was probably also the basis of ᴹQ. kumba in ᴹQ. saurikumba in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, unglossed but probably “✱foul-bellied” (SD/86).

rap

root. bind

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “bind” but without derivatives (EtyAC/RAP). The element S. raph (“?rope”) in S. Udalraph “Stirrupless” (“?without (U-) foot-rope”) might be related (UT/313).

tap

root. stop

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “stop” with derivatives like ᴹQ. tampa “stopper” and ᴹQ. tape “he stops, blocks” (Ety/TAP; EtyAC/TAP). The word Q. tapta “impeded” from notes associated with the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 was probably related (VT39/17), indicating the root’s ongoing validity.

tyul

root. stand up (straight), stand up (straight); [ᴱ√] tall

This root first appeared as ᴱ√TYULU “tall” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. tyulta- “to rear up, stick up”, ᴱQ. tyulma “mast”, and ᴱQ. tyulusse “poplar” (QL/50). The last two words reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√TYUL “stand up (straight)” along with a Noldorin derivative N. tulus “poplar-tree” (Ety/TYUL).

In notes from the 1940s and 50s Tolkien gave new primitives forms for one of these words: ᴹ✶kyul(u)mā “mast” (SD/419; PE21/65, 74), indicating a change from ᴹ√TYUL >> ✱ᴹ√KYUL. This was probably in keeping with Tolkien’s decision in the 1950s to remove initial palatalized dentals as a feature of Primitive Elvish; see the entry on how [[at|[j] was lost after initial dentals]] in the Welsh-like branch of the Elvish languages for further details.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I prefer to ignore Tolkien’s decision to remove initial palatalized dentals from Primitive Elvish. As such, I prefer √TYUL over √KYUL in order to retain attested Noldorin words from the 1930s form of the root.

yal

root. to cry, cry, *call

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “to cry” with variants ᴹ√YAM and ᴹ√YAL with derivatives like N. ialla- “to call” (EtyAC/YAL). It is likely a later iteration of unglossed ᴱ√Y̯AMA from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. yāma/G. gam “shout” and ᴱQ. yama-/G. gama- “shout, call” (QL/105; GL/37). It seems that ᴹ√YAM was unused in the 1930s and thereafter, but ᴹ√YAL is probably the basis for Q. yal- “summon” and its elaborations like Q. enyalië “memory, recalling” (UT/317).

yur

root. run

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “run” with derivatives like ON. yur- “run” and N. iôr “course” (Ety/YUR). It was a later iteration of ᴱ√ẎURU “run” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. yuro “a run, race” and ᴱQ. yuru- “run” (QL/106). For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, it is probably better to stick to the better attested root √NOR.

(n)di

root. in

al

prefix. without

alar-si

interjection. hail!

alkwā

noun. swan

am

root. up

andā

adjective. long

anga

root. iron

ari

noun. day

atta

root. two

atta

cardinal. two

aı̯an-

adjective. holy

dagdā

noun. pit

dal

root. flat

day

root. shadow

dēr

noun. man

galan

root. bright

gilya

noun. star

golbā

noun. branch

gālæ

noun. light

gāsa

noun. void

il

root. all

kab

root. hollow

kalat

noun. light

karpa

root. ?

khil

root. follow

khugan

noun. hound

kor

root. round

kuu̯

noun. bow

k’lā

noun. light

lin

root. pool

liñwi

noun. fish

lāda

adjective. flat

magā

noun. hand

makla

noun. sword

mapā

noun. hand

matna

noun. food

maʒ

root. hand

mā

noun. land

māʒ

noun. hand

nakma

noun. jaw

ni

pronoun. I

orku

noun. goblin

parkā

adjective. dry

pathnā

adjective. smooth

ringi

root. cold

rāmā

noun. wing

sagmā

noun. poison

skala

noun. fish

skarwē

noun. wound

solos

noun. surf

stintā

root. short

ta

root. that

tainā

adjective. long

tal

root. foot

tanka

adjective. firm

tata

root. two

tiukā

adjective. thick, fat

tollo

noun. island

tundā

adjective. tall

tāl

noun. foot

tār(ō)

noun. king

tārā

adjective. lofty

tēra

adjective. straight, right

wis

root. air

yagō

noun. gulf

yar

root. blood

yo(n)

root. son

yondō

noun. son

ñgoroth

root. horror

kwantā Reconstructed

adjective. full

oth

root. fort

imi

root. in

kub

root. bow

lak

root. swift

nyol

root. ring

yam

root. to cry, cry, [ᴱ√] *call, shout